( 5 reviews )
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Posted: May 30 2009
Ordered this book used. It is in excellent condition (as advertised). Very prompt service. Also, loved the biography - very well written. I would suggest following up this read with Whelan's 'Mr.Adams Last Crusade' which gives a lot more detail to John Quincy's 17 years in the House of Representatives after his presidency.
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Posted: May 26 2009
Parsons does a fine job in explaining the life and goals of John Quincy Adams. He writes well and moves the book along. In some areas I would have liked more explanation or greater detail, including the failure of JQA's presidency, but Parsons thankfully avoids getting bogged down as many biographers do. Nor does he skirt the ex-president's interesting career as a congressman after he left the White House. (There are several other books that explore that part of JQA's life more thoroughly). As one would expect, Parsons likes his subject and at time goes easy on him, while Adams' enemies and their motives come in for somewhat tougher treatment (in a generally polite book). One could question, for example, JQA's support for acquiring the Oregon territory while denouncing the acquisition of Texas. Like many politicians of the time, JQA could be guilty of measuring his support for any issue based on whether it might help or hurt slavery, regardless of any other consideration. I give only the very greatest book five stars, so my rating should not be viewed as a negative. This is the best book available for anyone interested in the life and times of John Quincy Adams.
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( 10 of 11 found this review helpful ) Posted: Oct 14 2005
John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, the second President, was one of America's greatest diplomats. He made a name for himself as the country was being formed, especially with his defense of "the rules of law" against the will of the majority. He was one of the last of the old Federalists. He was a foreign minister to Holland, Portugal, and Prussia, and was Secretary of State under Monroe (where he was the main force in establishing the Monroe Doctrine). He became the sixth President in a controversial election that was decided in the House of Representatives. Parson's short (272 pages) but thorough and well-written biography of Adams is a job well done. She details the accomplishments of his life, but focuses primarily on the man himself. Adams was a stern man (his portrait reminds me of some evil Dickens character, Marley perhaps), and not well-liked by the public. He believed that one should not "run" for a political office, but should just accept it if offered (imagine that today!). He hated Andrew Jackson and slavery, and fought hard against both. This is an excellent book on an interesting man.
